Former Olympic swimmer and silver medalist Sharron Davies OBE has launched a scathing attack on Algerian boxer Imane Khelif following reports that leaked medical test results allegedly confirm Khelif has male chromosomes.
Davies, who represented Great Britain in swimming, called for Khelif to be stripped of the Olympic gold medal won at the Paris Games last summer, claiming that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowed “male-on-female violence for the whole world to watch.”
“Imane Khelif knew he was biologically male. He knew he was cheating. His whole team knew — nobody cared what damage they might inflict on a female,” Davies stated in a recent interview.
The controversy reignited this week after a 2023 medical report allegedly showing Khelif carries male chromosomes was leaked. According to 3 Wire Sports via Telegraph Sport, the document states: “Chromosome analysis reveals male karyotype.” The report was reportedly conducted by Dr Lal PathLabs in New Delhi, a laboratory accredited by the American College of Pathologists and certified by the International Organisation for Standardisation.
World Boxing, now the governing body for the sport, recently announced the introduction of mandatory sex testing for male and female boxers wanting to participate in competitions. This policy will be part of their new guidelines on “Sex, Age and Weight,” which they claim will ensure a safe and competitive playing field.
Davies criticized the IOC for what she described as “criminal negligence” in allowing Khelif to compete in the women’s division despite previous failed gender eligibility tests.
“We all knew that this person had had two positive sex screening tests,” Davies said. “The people that are to blame through all of this are the IOC.”
She continued: “The fact that they turned around and said that those tests that they had been informed about a year prior were not legitimate when they were performed and accredited by the U.S. College of Pathology and certified by the International Organization of Standardization… So it wasn’t some quack organization.”
Khelif, who has been working as a UNICEF national ambassador since January 2024, broke her silence on Instagram following the latest controversy. However, she made no mention of the alleged chromosome test results, instead focusing on celebrating UNICEF’s “Global Day of Parents” and thanking her own parents for their support.
“Today, I became a champion, but it all started long ago,” Khelif wrote. “When my parents believed in me, even when the dream felt too big. When they supported me, listened to me, and stood by me.”
Davies has called for both Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who also won gold at the Paris Olympics after previously being disqualified from the 2023 World Championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA) for allegedly failing gender eligibility tests, to have their medals revoked.
“I’d love to see those medals [given to the silver medalists],” Davies said, while acknowledging the complexity of the situation in a tournament format. She specifically referenced the Italian boxer who was “down on her knees after 45 seconds” and was later “made to officially apologize” for not shaking Khelif’s hand.
Davies suggested that implementing “a very simple sex screening that you have once in your lifetime is very easy, very cheap, very quick and not at all intrusive,” referencing her own experience with such testing in 1976.
The Algerian Olympic Committee has previously called out “unsubstantiated allegations” aimed at “tarnishing the image of an athlete who has brought honor to our nation on the international stage.” Khelif has strenuously denied claims that she is not a woman and has stated she plans to defend her gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
